


By Your Side

by spinner33



Series: Coda to 5.7 [2]
Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Awkward, First Time, Hurt/Comfort, Jealous Danny, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-27
Updated: 2015-09-27
Packaged: 2018-04-23 15:33:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4882213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spinner33/pseuds/spinner33
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Follows A Dance of Joy and Love (Coda to 5.7)  Steve agrees to seek therapy, but Danny finds out all is not what it seems.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“Appointment?” Danny asked as Steve stood up from his desk and grabbed a light jacket to ward against the rain. Williams had been loitering in the doorway for the last few minutes, making small talk while checking up on McGarrett.

“Appointment,” Steve confirmed, pushing his arms into the jacket. He hid a small wince as he moved his left shoulder and arm.

“See you later?” Danny pressed.

“See you later,” Steve confirmed. That was what Danny had been waiting for – permission to come by McGarrett’s house later. It wasn’t that he needed verbal permission, per se. It’s just that he didn’t want Steve to feel like he was intruding on his ‘breathing space’. Danny followed Steve to the outer office, putting a hand on his sore left arm.

“Drive carefully?”

“I will.”

"Hey, aren't you forgetting something?" 

"What? Oh," Steve paused, then gave a brief attempt at a smile. He opened one arm in invitation, and Danny snatched him close with both arms, holding tight, patting him on the back. Steve didn't hug back so much as slouch sleepily against his shorter partner.

"Now you're free to go," Danny agreed. 

Steve left with another tired smile. He made his way down the steps and outside as Danny raced to the windows, and watched McGarrett’s blue Silverado leaving the parking lot. Danny whipped out his keys and turned for the front door, only to find Chin and Kono right behind him. Chin was squinting. Kono had her arms crossed over her chest, and was tapping a foot on the floor.

“What?” Danny muttered defensively. “Come on. One side. I gotta hurry. He’s getting away.”

“But you already know where he’s going,” Chin muttered.

“He’s going to therapy,” Kono said.

“I know where said he’s going. But he’s lying. Excuse me. Excuse me.”

The cousins prevented Danny from getting by putting opposite hands on opposite shoulders, and giving Jersey a small shove.

“You’ve got some explaining to do, buddy,” Chin pressured.

“You have been following Steve every day for two weeks when he leaves to go to therapy,” Kono added.

“Yeah? So?”

“Why?” Chin wanted to know.

“I’ll tell you why! Because I know for a fact that when McGarrett leaves here, he doesn’t go to Smead’s office. He leaves here but he never gets there.” Danny’s hands bounced back and forth as he spoke, demonstrating here and there between left and right. “Do you know how I know? Because I been following him to see exactly where it is he does go, and it’s not to Dr. Smead’s office!”

“How is that any of your business?” Chin demanded.

“It means Steve is not keeping his word to me that he would seek therapy and deal with what happened!” Danny exclaimed.

“Why are you being such a hard ass over this?” Kono wondered.

“Because I’m worried about him, and I’m angry that he’s lying to me. I’ve seen what can happen to a cop when they go through a situation like this and then they internalize their pain instead of dealing with it. I had a friend back in Jersey. I’ve seen what can happen. I decided this morning that if Steve pulled the same shit today, I was gonna call his ass out on it!”

“You’ve been following him every day for two weeks,” Chin shrugged.

“Yeah, so?”

“You ought to have a pretty good idea where’s he going then,” Kono said slowly.

“Sometimes he just goes home. Lays down on the couch. Takes a nap.”

“Da bastard!” Kono swore in imitation of Danny’s Jersey accent. Chin gave her a sideways grin. Danny gave her the evil eye.

“Most days, he goes to an office building on the other side of Honolulu, practically as far away from this office as you can get,” Danny whined.

“He doesn’t want people around here to talk about him needing to see a shrink. I get that,” Kono said.

“Did you check out what businesses are in the office building?” Chin asked.

“Yes.”

“And?” Kono sighed.

“There are several different types of businesses in the building. Insurance, medical, an art studio, yadda yadda. I don’t know that he’s even going to one of them. He might be walking right through the building and leaving out the other side for all I know.”

“You didn’t investigate?” Chin mused.

“I went in and looked around off-hours, but there’s like thirty businesses there. It’s a big building.”

“Any medical offices?” Kono wondered.

“Yes, they occupy the entire second floor, but they all share one waiting room. I can’t go inside when Steve goes in without him seeing me, and even if I did go in, the receptionists aren’t going to tell me anything because of privacy concerns, unless I get a warrant, because they’re going to say it’s an invasion of privacy.”

“Because it is an invasion of privacy,” Chin frowned at him.

“It is not!” Danny retorted, arms raised as he shouted.

“Yes, it is,” Kono accused.

“No, it’s not!”

The cousins exchanged a raised brow each.

“What do you think it is?” Chin asked.

“It’s me being concerned about my partner! That’s what it is! I don’t want to wake up some morning, and find out Steve put his gun in his mouth the night before, because he had a nightmare, or he had a PTSD episode, and I wasn’t there to help him. I don’t want to have to explain to Mary why I wasn’t there for my best friend. I don’t want to have to bury my partner. Is that okay by you?!”

Danny skirted between the two of them, and raced out the front door.

“Should we?” Kono asked Chin.

“Yes, we should.” Chin replied. “You drive.”

He grabbed a mobile tablet on the way out the door.

“What are you doing?” Kono asked.

“Tracking Steve’s truck by GPS.”

“You have a tracker on the Boss’s truck?”

Chin smirked knowingly in reply. “Girl, please.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The songs are both by Sade - By Your Side and No Ordinary Love.


	2. Chapter 2

“Daniel, you have officially lost your mind,” Chin said calmly as he climbed into the backseat of the Camaro. 

“Says you,” Danny replied as he continued to focus on the window above, readjusting the long distance lens on his surveillance camera. 

“It’s bad enough you’re following Steve. Now you’re taking pictures too?” Chin chided.

“Brah, this has got to stop,” Kono said, putting up a hand in front of the lens as she got into the front passenger seat of the Camaro. “Consider this our intervention, because we care about you too.” 

“Hey….” Danny protested. “Careful with that!” 

“I did a little digging on the way over. Listen up,” Chin said, watching Kono peruse the photos stored on the camera. Kelly whipped out tablet, and cleared his throat. “Dr. Emilio Perez, audiologist. Dr. Anuhua Kalakaua, no relation to present company, Ear, Nose, and Throat specialist. Dr. Pamela P. Simpson, holistic healer, specializing in acupuncture. Dr. Catrina VonTassel, holistic healer, specializing in hypnotherapy. Dr. Gustav VonTassel, specializing in regression therapy. Dr. James A. John, cardiologist. Dr. Wayne Grant, podiatrist. Dr. Gayle Highgate, pediatric specialist. Dr. Mindy Maka-Holmes, touch therapist. Dr. Meta Lakhanapal, endocrinologist.”

“What’s your point?” Danny said grimly as he made grabby hands at the camera. Kono slapped his gropers away, intent on perusing the pictures. 

“Considering the numerous and evil ways that Wo Fat tortured Steve, the only person on that list that McGarrett might not have a valid reason to visit would be the pediatric doctor. See for yourself,” Chin murmured, giving Danny the tablet. Danny refused to take the tablet. 

“Can you get pictures? Can you do background checks?” 

“What?” Chin blanched. 

“Can you pull up pictures of these lowlifes?” Danny demanded. 

Kono stopped flipping through pictures. Her eyes bulged. 

“You got bios of these people?” Kalakaua asked her cousin, showing him one of the pictures from the camera. Chin clicked a link or two. 

“That’s Dr. Mindy Maka-Holmes, the touch therapist,” he said.

“Is that what she calls herself?” Danny snorted derisively. 

“She has no criminal record. She has had no complaints lodged against her. She’s clean, Danny,” Chin said, pulling a file with the doctor’s official picture. “Says on her office webpage that she’s been in practice for three years.” 

Kono babbled, flapping her hands excitedly. “That’s her!”

“When I first got here, I thought I spotted Steve in the office window, two from the corner, so I pulled out my camera, and started snapping away. That’s her office then. She’s in there. With Steve. And he’s not wearing his shirt,” Danny sputtered. 

“It’s called touch therapy for a reason,” Chin explained patiently. He looked to Kono for support, but his cousin was looking less and less happy. 

“Sorry, Chin, but where I’m from, when you take off your shirt for someone, and they’re touching you, that’s called a relationship,” Danny muttered, fury burning. 

“I don’t understand why you are so upset about this,” Chin started to dismiss his concerns again. 

“Cuz, Danny might be right. Steve might be in trouble,” Kono muttered, shaking her head. “We need to get in there and rescue him.” 

“RESCUE HIM!?! From what? You two need to calm down,” Chin cautioned. 

“You don’t understand, cuz. Touch therapists do not actually touch their patients,” Kono protested. 

“Did it ever occur to you that Dr. Maka-Holmes might know more about her own specialty than you two hupo? Steve is a grown man, and he can take care of himself,” Chin sputtered. Danny grimaced and growled. 

"When I said I wanted Steve to see a therapist, I thought he would find a nice, middle-aged lady with horn-rimmed glasses to talk to. I did not think he would be throwing himself half-naked into the arms of a....a pervert!" Danny protested. 

"Touch therapy is just as legitimate as hug therapy is," Chin was playing devil's advocate. "Dr. Maka-Holmes has nothing but positive reviews from her former patients, and she's got two degrees -- one in psychology, and one in physical therapy. I'd say that makes her very qualified." 

“You know what I see? I don’t see a doctor at all. I see someone using her position as a therapist to take advantage of a vulnerable person, and I’m not going to sit by and let that happen! Not after everything Steve has been through,” Danny muttered.

“Are you listening to yourself?” Chin wanted to laugh but the sound died in his throat. “You’re crazy. You both are. You’re blowing this entire thing out of proposition, jumping to rash conclusions.”

Kono lifted the camera again, and fussed with the long-distance lens. Chin couldn’t believe they wouldn’t listen to reason. Kono continued to speak with her eye to the focus-finder. 

“Cuz, touch therapists do not actually touch you. They use their hands to direct healing energy towards a patient’s body, from above the skin’s surface. I had several sessions with a touch therapist for my knee. It’s about channeling healing energy, positive auras, and stuff like that. It is not about running your hands on your patient’s very fine abs.”

“What?!” Danny exclaimed.

“Whoa, hey lady, what the hell!?” Kono exclaimed. 

Danny barked angrily, taking the camera away from Kono and focusing it again for his own eyes. He was growling from deep in his chest. 

“Chin, Miss December in there is currently touching the one place on Steve’s body that wasn’t injured!”

“Miss December, huh? Would this be bothering you half as much if Dr. Maka-Holmes weren’t young, beautiful, and female?” Chin demanded, giving Danny a skeptical frown. Kono and Danny caught their breath in unison.

“Oh my god! She’s kissing him!” Kono blurted. 

“That’s it!” Danny exclaimed. He pitched the camera into the backseat and took off out of the car. 

“Where are you going? Danny?!” Chin flinched as he caught the camera and chucked it aside. “Kono!?” he added as Kalakaua leapt out as well. They both had a look of anger and determination on their faces as they snatched their weapons out of their holsters and ran full-tilt for the building. 

Chin pulled out his phone, and hit the first speed-dial button. 

“Pick up, pick up, pick up,” he chanted. 

“Hello?” Steve murmured sleepily. 

“McGarrett, hey, it’s Chin. I’m sorry to interrupt your therapy session, but we have a problem.”

There was a rustle of clothes, like Steve was sitting up and pulling on his shirt. 

“Something with a case?” Steve was suddenly much more alert. He sounded so excited for a second there. 

“Not exactly…..” Chin hedged. 

Over the phone line, Kelly heard the door slam open and smack the wall behind it. Dr. Maka-Holmes screamed out in surprise. 

“You can’t go in there!” someone was protesting. 

Danny Williams shouted, “Hands off, scumbag!!” 

“Get on the floor!” Kono bawled behind him. 

“Kanapapiki,” Steve swore before the line disconnected.


	3. Chapter 3

“Just hear me out? Please?” Danny begged. 

Steve’s current expression was giving Danny flashbacks about his father. It’s interesting what memories sprang to mind. Danny hadn’t felt this ashamed of his actions since he was twelve years old, and he had found himself sitting in the police station with Mr. Williams and their angry neighbor. 

The incident came back to Danny like it was yesterday. Matty had launched a baseball through the neighbor’s window. Danny smiled inside at the memory of shock and terror on his little brother’s face. It had been funny for all of two seconds, because when the glass had shattered, Matty had shoved the bat into Danny’s hands, and Matty had taken off like a shot! When the spitting-mad neighbor emerged into the yard, Danny had been the one standing there with the bat. So naturally, Danny had gotten blamed. 

Although he hadn’t broken the window, Danny had egged his baby brother into taking that big swing which had carried the baseball out of their yard and through the neighbor’s window. Danny was at least partly guilty for what had happened, and that’s why he had done the responsible thing. He had stayed, and he had taken the blame, and he had also taken the punishment too, all in silence without ratting out Matty for what he’d done. He would never forget the disappointment on his dad’s face though. That stung hard even to this day. It was the same look Steve was giving him right now. 

McGarrett sat down in the wooden chair on the lawn, collapsing like a building being demolished. He was plainly exhausted. As much as he might have been putting up a good front for his team, the hours were catching up to McGarrett. Pride was the only thing keeping him awake, and it was barely seven in the evening. As he had sat down, his shirt rode up on one side, revealing new bruises. They looked very fresh, Williams worried. Danny wanted to reach out and caress the pain away, but he wasn’t sure how Steve might react right at the moment, so he kept his hands to himself. 

“I’m listening,” McGarrett rasped, tugging his shirt back into place. Danny paced anxiously back and forth and around. 

“You have every right to be angry.” 

Steve frowned him like a disgruntled eagle. 

“Don’t placate me with bullshit, Daniel.”

“I’m not,” Danny insisted.

“Why did you follow me? Why did you bust in there, waving your gun around like some angry, jealous boyfriend?”

“Um….” Danny wasn’t sure what to make of that analogy. 

“Yes?” 

“It’s not what you think.” 

“Then this is not you smothering me again? Now you’re roping Kono into your crazy? You should be ashamed of yourself.” 

“I’m not smothering you,” Danny muttered defensively. “And Kono is fully responsible for her own crazy, you know? That’s not my fault.”

“What the hell were ya thinkin’?” Steve yawned. 

“I was concerned about your safety.” 

“Really?” Steve teased. “You think I’d have trouble taking down Dr. Mindy? She’s about a buck-ten, a foot shorter than me, and she wasn’t carrying any guns, or grenades, or missile launchers, or…. Do you know how crazy you sound?” 

“I know how I sound,” Danny nodded. “I busted in there because I care about you. I mean, why do I keep having to explain this? I. Care. About. You.”

“You followed me because you care?”

“Yes!!” Danny exhaled loudly in relief and plunked down on the edge of the other wooden chair. “Steve, I’m worried about you.” 

“I get that,” Steve soothed. He put a hand on Danny’s knee, moving his leg gently back and forth. “I know you care, Danno, but I’m asking you nicely to let me deal with this my own way. Can you do that? Please?” 

“I thought you were going to seek therapy!”

“I am seeking therapy.”

“Someone to talk to!”

“Why do I need someone to talk to?” 

“Steven!”

“I have you. Why do I need anyone else?” Steve offered, bashful smile warming his features. Danny gulped back the next scream, hands flailing about. 

“When I saw what she was doing to you, I kinda lost my mind.”

“Yes, apparently, you did.” Steve’s brow furrowed. Anger and humor were fighting there. Danny wasn’t sure which one had come out on top. “Wait…. How could you see what we were doing?” 

“You left the shades up, dipshit.” 

“You were surveilling me?” Steve sputtered, covering his face with both hands. “Daniel? Are there pictures?” 

“Yes.” 

“If I weren’t so tired, I would get out of this chair, grab you by the hair, and drown you in the ocean,” Steve swore.

“You could fucking try,” Danny growled. “What I did, I did out of love, I swear.” 

“Exactly how long have you been surveilling my sessions with Dr. Mindy? It wasn’t just today, was it? This is not a one-time thing. No. You…you’ve been following me for some time, haven’t you?”

“Every day.” 

“Every DAY!” Steve bellowed, furious. 

“She was touching you,” Danny blurted. 

“She’s a touch therapist,” Steve bluffed. 

“You were half naked!” 

“I had my shirt off because she said that clothing interferes with her healing energy.” 

“She said what?” Danny stopped flailing, his face going flat with disbelief.

“Clothing interferes with her healing aura.” 

“Are you fucking kidding me? You don’t believe in hug therapy, but she convinced you that a millimeter of cheap cotton stood between you and her healing aura? She is a goddamn pervert! I knew it!”

“She is not a pervert. She gave me a book about touch therapy. It’s upstairs if you’re interested, Mr. Skeptical. I did my research. I’m not completely stupid, as much as you’d like to think so, apparently.” 

“Look, above the waist, she’s a touch therapist. Anything below the waist, and it’s a felony! McGarrett! We’ve worked cases like this before!” 

“Did it ever occur to you I was okay with Dr. Mindy touching me?” Steve was fighting back a small, tired smile. “I’m as human as the next man. It was very flattering. She’s young, she’s pretty, and she’s actually interested in me?”

Danny had a momentary out-of-body, floating sensation, brought on by being so angry he couldn’t function, and so sad that he had to pause to collect himself. How could Steve be shocked that someone wanted him? And how could he be so naïve as to fall for a pick-up line that transparent? 

“Your therapist was taking advantage of you, in the worst possible sense,” Danny finally managed to say. “How long has she been doing this?” 

“Doing what? We haven’t….we….you’ve been following me for two weeks! You know we haven’t done anything, up until today. Everything was going fine, until you and Kono burst in there, waving your guns around,” McGarrett snorted. 

“This is no laughing matter, Steven,” Danny frowned again. 

“And you accuse me of having a misplaced hero complex?” Steve giggled. “You know, Danno, it’s been kind of a long time since someone was interested in me in that sense. It was nice to feel wanted. I was just beginning to enjoy myself before you and Kono burst in there. You’re lucky I was able to convince Dr. Maka-Holmes to not press charges. She isn’t even going to send you a bill for the door.”

“She’s lucky I’m not going to prosecute her,” Danny pouted. 

“Prosecute her for what?” Steve asked as he narrowed his eyes.

“She was touching you!” Danny snarled. “Nobody gets to touch you! Nobody!” 

Once the words were spoken, Steve took on a deer-in-headlights expression. Danny froze with embarrassment for a millisecond before he bounced up out of the chair and raced into the house. 

Once he managed to get up out of the chair, Steve followed behind. He nearly took the door in the nose as Danny slammed the portal hard. Danny sank down on the floor of the screened porch, covering his face in shame. He was panting and heaving, struggling to bring himself under control. Steve carefully turned the knob, entered the porch. He surmised Danny’s condition in one glance. Sympathy and affection filled his expressive face. Steve closed the door, and stood there, eyes all over Danny in concern. 

Danny scooted backwards, leaning against the door which led inside the house itself. He curled his knees up to his chest. Rubbed his face with his hands. Avoided Steve’s inquiring eyes. 

“That came out all wrong,” Danny insisted aggressively. 

“Yeah? I bet it did. Do you want to talk?” McGarrett asked.

“No,” Danny blurted. 

“There’s a first,” Steve teased. Danny flashed him a bird with both hands. Steve snickered dryly. He wrung his hands unsurely before he crouched down on his hands and knees, as much as it hurt to do so. He crawled into the space next to Danny. Steve slid an arm around his embarrassed partner, and rested their heads together.

It was an undeniably-affectionate gesture, meant to be reassuring. It wasn’t like they hadn’t spent several evenings sitting on the couch together like this while Danny had read to Steve, or they had watched TV together, or had simply shared the silence together. This felt different though. At least to Danny it was. Steve sighed contentedly, as if he had missed this very much. Could it be Steve hadn’t been simply enduring Danny’s physical overprotectiveness? Had Steve been craving being touched and held like this for several days? Was that why he hadn’t minded that Dr. Mindy ‘Fast Hands’ Maka-Holmes had been all over him? 

Ah, man, what a horrifying thought, Danny gulped. Was Steve so lonely for human touch that he was ready to sleep with the first person to have indicated they were interested in him? Danny suddenly wanted to bundle the big SEAL up in a warm blanket and protect him, mostly from himself. He also wanted to get on a plane, and go hunt down every last son of a bitch who had ever made Steve feel like he wasn’t worthy of being loved. 

Danny remained poised, scared at first to even breathe. They sat listening to the sound of the waves, and their breathing and heartbeats slowly came into sync with one another. The longer they sat together, the calmer Danny felt, but he still couldn’t believe he had blurted those words. He couldn’t believe he had broken his silence, that he had made even a veiled remark about his feelings. There was really no other way to interpret what he had said. 

Steve’s muted, calm response took Danny by complete surprise. Maybe that hug therapy book had done some good after all? Or maybe this wasn’t the first time one of his subordinates had fallen deeply and madly in love with him? Danny cringed inwardly. This must have happened to Steve several times, he was sure. Or was he imagining that Steve’s eyes looked red, and that his pupils were slightly dilated? Steve had been home a couple hours before Danny had arrived. What had happened in the interim? 

Danny took one long breath, and swallowed loudly. Steve turned his head slightly to the side, and ran the bridge of his nose against Danny’s jawline. All other thoughts vanished from Danny's head. 

“You wanna talk?” Steve whispered, his voice right in Danny’s ear. The shiver that ran down his spine and into his pants made him gasp out. As closely as they were tangled together, there’s no way Steve hadn’t felt the impact that whisper had had on Danny’s body. Williams managed to shake his head no, hands fumbling together, holding onto each other to keep him from grabbing hold of Steve and smothering him like he had never been smothered in his entire life. Danny finally put his arm around Steve’s waist. He felt bad when he clutched McGarrett’s ribs, and Steve caught his breath in pain. 

Danny wondered where the new bruises had come from, latching onto something new to fret about. He might not have been speaking out loud, but inside, oh, inside, there was a quite the storm raging. Words whirling. Emotions roiling. Okay, yes, maybe Danny could be somewhat over the top when it came to protecting the people he loved. But that’s only because he had lost people before, precious people, beloved people, like Matty, like Maka, like his partner Grace. Here he was, stranded on this godforsaken, pineapple-and-plumeria scented purgatory, a million miles from his parents and siblings. Fighting a battle against emotions he felt he had no right to. Grace and Charlie were his family here, and Chin and Kono too, of course. But Steve? Steve was his rock, his everything. As much as Steve presented a façade of impenetrable strength and endurance to the world, underneath all that was a scared and lonely little boy, dragging his wounded wings behind him. Steve made a protective urge well up in Danny. Call it love. Call it fatherly instincts. Call it whatever you wanted to call it. Steve needed Danny, that much was clear. So how could Steve be at all surprised that when it came to defending and protecting his ohana, and especially Steve, that Danny might cross the line of good sense now and again, repeatedly, often? 

“Whatever is eating you up, I’m here for you,” Steve murmured. The tip of his nose travelled up behind Danny’s ear. Williams gulped loudly. “It’s okay, Danno. You can talk to me. You know you can.”

All Danny could manage to do was shake his head. 

“Whatever it is, you have to let it out. You can’t keep it locked up inside. It’ll kill you if you do. I understand you now. I understand why you can’t not talk about your feelings. Dr. Mindy said there are some people who find their strength by pulling energy down inside, like me. Then there’s people like you, people who find their strength by expelling energy. That’s why when you talk, you move your hands. You talk with your whole body when you’re excited. You push energy out, and I draw energy in, and I think that means we’re compatible. We complement each other. We need each other. I need you, Danno.” 

Danny didn’t reply. He pulled in a shaking breath, and lifted his eyes to the stormy blue gaze before him. It was impossible. There was no way in the world he could put into words the feelings that were shaking and whirling inside him. How could he tell his straight, macho, military-raised best friend that he was hopelessly in love with him? He could imagine Steve’s horror, his disgust. McGarrett would never speak to Danny again if he had any idea. Right? Danny shook his head, and drop his eyes again. 

Steve’s firm jaw turned puffy on one wide as he tested out a tentative, mischievous smirk. 

“Danno?”

Rough fingers with nibbled nails tickled and caressed under Danny’s chin. 

“Can I…do you want me to….um…” Steve stammered. “Okay. I’ll just say it. If I’m wrong, you have my full permission to flip out. Punch me in the mouth. Whatever. Would you at least look at me?”

Danny struggled to breathe calmly, and not burst into loud, noisy sobs. He lifted his head and blinked at Steve, waiting for McGarrett to explode in anger. Instead, Steve closed his eyes, long lashes tickling Danny's skin as Steve teased a tentative kiss to Danny’s bottom lip, and then brushed noses with him. Steve pulled back, waiting. 

“I’m’a call a doctor if you don’t say something.” 

McGarrett squeaked in alarm when Williams leapt up and pinned him against the door, latching both arms around Steve and returning the kiss with anxious eagerness. 

“Can we take this inside?” Steve asked. 

“Hell yes!!” Danny exclaimed. He fumbled for the knob, and they fell backwards. Steve’s melon struck the hard wood floor of the kitchen. He started snorting in amusement. Danny knelt over him on all fours, giving him another quick smooch, dragging him inside by his belt buckle.


	4. Chapter 4

Danny was on his hands and knees above Steve, lips clenched, tongues teasing slowly and tenderly together. Steve’s moan was interrupted by a little giggle. It’s hard to kiss a guy when he’s fighting bubbles of laughter. 

“What?” Danny wondered, lifting up for a moment, long enough to take in the wide eyes and chipmunk smile. What the hell was Steve on? 

“We’re on my dad’s kitchen floor. You’ve got your tongue down my throat. I’m trying to remember whether or not I have condoms anywhere in the house. I’ve never done this with a guy before. I have no idea what we’re doing. You’re kissing me. You, Danny Williams. You almost shot my therapist six hours ago in a fit of possessive jealousy, and that’s without a doubt the most romantic gesture anyone has ever made on my behalf.”

“Are you high?” Danny whispered, diving down for another kiss, hands moving under Steve’s shirt, mindful of the bruises on his side.

“A little bit. I asked Dr. Fran for something to help me sleep.”

Danny stopped. He sat up, pulling Steve into a seated position, pushing him against the cabinets. 

“Uhn,” Steve pouted. “What? Don’t stop. Feels so good.”

“Babe, call me when you’re having trouble sleeping,” Danny said, stroking Steve’s cheek. McGarrett leaned into the touch hungrily. 

“You need your sleep. If I call you, neither of us gets any rest, and we’re both zombies the next day.”

“You call me when you can’t sleep, you understand?” 

“Yes, Danno.”

“Any time, no matter what time it is. You call me.” 

“Yes, Danno.” 

“Bad dreams?” Danny murmured as he whispered little kisses along Steve’s jaw, down the side of his neck. Steve nodded slowly. “Let me make it better,” Danny soothed. 

“Yes, please.” 

Danny pulled Steve’s shirt off, and began nibbling on his collarbone, nosing and nuzzling the same spots he had rubbed and stroked the last time they were sitting in a position like this, down in Wo Fat’s torture room. Williams shuddered, glancing down Steve’s side at his ribs. The bruises went up his back as well. 

“What did you do?” Danny wondered, hands caressing. 

“Fell out of bed last night,” Steve admitted. 

“Oh,” Danny whispered in sympathy, dotting more kisses down the hollow of his throat. He stroked healing bruises, mended wounds, wondering when and how his life had gotten turned around. In the best of all possible ways, all turned around. 

“Fell out of bed, hit the bedside table, got into a fist fight with the lamp….” Steve amended, making fun of himself. Danny pulled back slightly, running a hand down Steve’s chest, caressing down his abs, teasing his navel with one fingertip. “What?” McGarrett rumbled. The tip of his tongue darted over his bottom lip. Given the choice between gushy sympathy and humor, Danny knew which Steve would prefer. 

“Do you have condoms somewhere in the house?” 

“I have no idea,” Steve whispered back, shoulders rounding as he worked up another giggle. 

“What about your dad?” 

Steve made such a face. 

“What? He was single for how many years? You don’t think your dad ever brought a beautiful lady home with him?” 

Steve’s silent horror got worse. His upper lip was contorting everywhere. 

“Forget I brought it up,” Danny squinted. 

Steve’s face rearranged itself as he shook the thought away. Clearly picturing his dad in any kind of sexual context did not compute. 

“No condoms?” Danny clarified. 

“I haven’t needed any. It’s been a dry spell for me.”

“How dry?” Danny wondered. Steve thought about it. And thought about it. And stood up, still thinking about it. He put a hand down to help Danny up too. 

“A while.” 

“Are we talking days, weeks, months?”

“Not since Cath left,” McGarrett decided.

Danny leaned against the nearest cabinet, and stroked Steve’s arm. 

“Are you serious? That’s been, like, forever.”

“I’ve been busy,” Steve shrugged. 

“Let’s fix that. Upstairs?” Danny asked. 

“No. Too many ghosts,” Steve said, pulling Danny towards the living room, towards the big divan. Which only led Danny to believe that the bedside table and lamp probably came out on the wrong end of that nightmare with Steve, and McGarrett didn’t want to alarm him by taking him into the bedroom to see the actual damage. Which also meant they might be sleeping on the divan together tonight. 

Steve slid backwards onto the divan and pulled Danny on top of himself, latching their mouths together. Gave a tiny whimper when the divan pillow gouged him. Chucked said pillow up over the back. Danny scooted downwards, dotting kisses as he moved, kicking off his shoes, tossing Steve’s flipflops away, and began working on his belt buckle. 

Steve was blinking at him, somewhat alarmed.

“What?” 

“Have you done this kinda thing before?” McGarrett asked. 

Danny paused and grinned, two halves of Steve’s buckle in each hand. 

“Babe, I’ve got two kids. Pretty sure that speaks for itself.” 

“I meant….” Steve mused, fumbling for words. 

“What?” 

“With a guy?” Steve whispered like it was a deep secret. 

Danny shrugged. “Nope. You?” 

“What? You think I fucked my way across seven continents or something while I was in the Navy?”

“I wouldn’t be surprised,” Danny purred maliciously. “I’m guessing your Navy buddies don’t call you Smooth Dog for nothing.” 

“I’m charming. Charming. Not slutty. There is a difference.” 

“So you’ve never…” 

“No.” 

“Not even…”

“Even what?” Steve asked, spoiling for a fight. 

“You never even shook hands with a guy?” 

Steve puzzled over what that might mean in a sexual connotation. Danny kissed a raised mark on Steve’s chest, nosing through curls of dark hair. Watching Steve think was wildly entertaining from the outside. 

“No,” McGarrett replied. “I was not in the habit of quote-unquote 'shaking hands' with random guys. I didn’t want to lose my job, or my career, or quite frankly, my life.”

Danny grinned, fighting a laugh. "This is a new thing for both of us then?”

“Apparently.”

“That’s nice, in a good way.” 

“Sort of,” Steve whispered in concern. “We should be careful.” 

“Words I never thought would come out of your mouth,” Danny quipped. 

“I do not want to have to explain this in the emergency room.” 

“Don’t worry. I’ve seen movies,” Danny insisted. 

“That’s comforting,” Steve snorted. “You see one boy-on-boy porno, and you think you’re God’s gift to gay sex? I guess you watch medical dramas, and pretend you’re a surgeon too?” 

“We’ll play it by ear,” Danny replied, patting his chest. “How much different could it be?”

Steve flashed bitch-face at Danny, and pulled him closer. 

“You wanna thumb-wrestle for tops, or how do you wanna do this?” McGarrett wondered, nose in Danny’s ear, hands inside his shirt. Danny was too distracted to do more than squeak, because those callused hands, so accustomed to handling guns and grenades, they were skirting around his skin, leaving ghostly touches and the occasional, short-nailed scratch. 

“Do what?” Danny gulped, hand on Steve’s shoulder sliding up his neck, into his short-cropped hair. He passed a spot which made Steve start deliciously, so he moved fingertips back down to the nape of his neck, stroking until Steve forgot what he was doing. Danny stopped stroking, and Steve started biting off his buttons, hands moving to Danny’s belt. 

Steve lost patience, pulled open his shirt to both sides. He traded places with one quick twist, pushing Danny into the couch, working his nose down the top of the wife-beater shirt Danny wore. Those tiny whimpers were as much due to sore ribs as anything else. Williams was swallowing explicatives as Steve latched onto one nipple, his beard scruff tickling, teeth nipping, tongue touching and teasing. 

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” Danny grunted. He tightened his grip on Steve’s skull, and nearly broke McGarrett’s nose. “Why did you stop?” 

“….smooshin' me….” Steve mumbled. 

Danny loosened his grip, panting softly. He pulled off the dress shirt, shaking his hands out of the sleeves anxiously, and ripped the undershirt off over his head. Steve just smiled, pushing the discarded shirts off the back of the couch, moving in close again. 

Danny’s buckle clinked like champagne glasses clicking together. Steve nosed and nibbled down Danny’s furry chest, hands moving to his hips, pushing his muscled thighs apart to nestle between. Danny groaned at the feeling of those strong hands gripping him, scooted down on the couch. He arched up, hands working on his trousers and boxers, shifting, squirming, and scooting. Steve helped push the clothes out of the way, mouthing down, down, down. 

“Oh, oh,” Danny pined anxiously as a rough tongue swirled the tip of his cock, and teased the crown with tentative licks. He almost rocketed up off the divan when Steve swallowed most of him in one go. Only the hands on his hips kept him from standing up in surprise. 

Steve bobbed up and down, finding a good balance between choking himself and driving Danny to distraction. What he lacked in skill, he made up for with enthusiasm. Danny could not stop making noises, tiny squeaks of pain and pleasure. Then he started giving little suggestions.

“Too much teeth….no, um, better…. Yes….God, yes…..oh,” Danny groaned, hips arching. “That…what was that? That…there…yes…..Babe. Babe. Baby….uhn. Hey, what did I say about the teeth?” 

Steve lifted his head and outright glared. 

“Don’t stop!” Danny wailed. 

“You gonna backseat drive here too?” Steve frowned. 

“Please….oh god…..like you wouldn’t?” Danny gasped. 

“Pull my ears, and I’ll punch you,” McGarrett warned before returning to the task at hand. Danny closed his eyes and settled down. 

“No teeth, no teeth,” he whispered, groaning. Steve replaced his mouth with one strong hand, and Danny screamed out in anxiety, eyes flashing open in time to encounter a perturbed, stormy gaze. “That works too,” Danny offered with a goofy, happy smile. 

“You think they got instructional videos for that?” Steve wondered softly, working Danny’s cock with determination that was almost unsettling. Rough. Not bad though, Williams thought dizzily. Those were the hands of a guy who did not masturbate for pleasure though, that much was certain. He found it pretty sad thinking that Steve even touched himself with a 'get it done and over with' approach. Danny planned to remedy this as soon as possible.

“Prob’leeeee,” Danny gulped. He latched his arms around Steve, dropping his head on one broad shoulder, nose against his neck. “God, that’s, that’s nice,” he whispered before sinking teeth into his partner’s shoulder. “Oh, uh, nice….I… um…where are my manners? Come here, babe,” Danny swallowed, hands moving down Steve’s hips to lower his cargo pants and briefs. He slid a tentative hand around Steve’s erection, feeling him tense and shudder in reply. 

“Danno,” Steve groaned, laying his head on Danny’s shoulders in a mirror image, watching each other’s reactions. Steve’s eyes fluttered closed as his mouth slid open, then his top teeth seized his bottom lip. Danny nosed a kiss to Steve’s wet mouth, and their tongues found one another again. Steve was whimpering soft and low. It was vulnerable, and almost too sweet, and Danny never wanted this to end.


	5. Chapter 5

Steve was humming softly under his breath. Sade was playing on the radio down low. McGarrett had both hands on the wheel. He was turning slowly and smoothly around the corners, head moving side to side. A happy smile teased his features. Danny sat in the passenger seat, shifting his stiff limbs. It filled up his heart to the brim, knowing he had been the one to put that happiness on Steve’s face and in his soul. 

And then Danny remembered where they were headed. 

“Babe?”

“ ‘There’s nothing like….you and I….Danno….This is no ordinary love… no ordinary love…’ ” 

“Babe, pull over.”

“What?” Steve murmured, eyes filling with concern. He angled the Camaro to the side of the street, motioning the other cars to go around. Gave someone stink-eye when they lingered too long. “You okay? Something wrong?” Steve asked, sliding his hand over Danny’s hand, squeezing gently. 

“We can’t go in there like this,” Danny moaned. 

“Like what?” Steve questioned. 

“Come here,” Danny said, sitting up straight, turning sideways, fiddling with McGarrett’s tie. “We cannot go into the therapist’s office, grinning like idiots, holding hands, all happy and stuff. No, no, no. She is a trained professional. She’s gonna know.” 

“What’s she gonna know?” 

“She’s gonna see right through us,” Danny moaned. That sound brought a glow of remembrance to Steve’s face. He flashed a hint of teeth before he bumped his nose to Danny’s nose, bounced a quick kiss off his lips, and shot back to his own side of the car, almost that quickly. 

“She ain’t gonna know nothing,” Steve promised. “You think she’s going to see us both in a good mood, and suddenly assume we spent the night naked and sticky on our couch?” 

Anyone who got a glance at Steve’s face was going to know he had spent the night naked and sticky somewhere. 

“Yeah, babe. She’s gonna know.” 

“Then let’s not go. We’ll head for the beach, catch some waves, get some lunch. Spend the afternoon in a bed somewhere that has room service and pay-per-view porn.”

“Steven, we cannot skip our appointment.”

“You’re right. They charge full price whether you show up or not.”

“We gotta have a fight or something before we get there,” Danny decided. 

Steve frowned at him. 

“But I don’t wanna fight,” McGarrett whined. 

“Don’t be a big baby. This is for your own good,” Danny frowned. 

Steve sighed, and all his joy drained away. 

“All right. What do you want to argue about?” 

“I dunno,” Danny shrugged. 

“See, you don’t want to fight either,” Steve was smiling again just that quickly. 

“We cannot go in there like this,” Danny insisted, shaking his head. 

“No, see, yes, we can. It’ll be great. We’ll tell her we figured it all out. We don’t need these sessions any more. Any time we feel like shouting at each other, we’ll find a secluded dark room, and practice a bit of touch therapy, and it’ll all be better, yeah?” Steve offered.

That hopeful, stupid, sweet smile of Steve’s was a thing of beauty, Danny decided. 

“Can I just say something?” McGarrett added. 

“Sure, babe.” Danny’s heart broke as Steve whispered those words. He blinked, shook his head, and reached up a hand to touch his friend’s scruffy chin.

“When everything happened, and you were there for me, thanks. I mean that. Thank you. I opened my eyes, and you were there. I closed my eyes, and I could feel you there. Your voice. Your hand in mine. You were telling me it was going to be okay. Telling me I was all right. I can’t tell you want that meant. You made me feel safe, Danno, and I appreciate that very much.” 

Steve’s voice cracked. He turned away, hiding a wet sniffle. 

“You made me feel safe, but it was more than that,” Steve continued. “I knew you cared about me. I mean, really cared. For the first time in forever, I know I mean something to someone. I’m not just another solider, or an expendable piece of equipment. I’m not a convenient warm body, or a handsome trophy to show off. I wasn’t anything but me. I was me, just me, and you cared. You don’t know what that means. Thanks.”

"You're welcome," Danny cleared his throat, holding onto both halves of his heart and not sure what to do with them. He took Steve’s hand again. “Babe?”

“Yeah?” 

“Let’s go find that bed.”

“And room service?” McGarrett’s eyes twinkled playfully.

“I could eat,” Danny shrugged. 

“And porn?” Steve whispered, brows wiggling. 

“Whatever you want,” Danny snickered. 

“Yes!" Steve exclaimed happily. 

McGarrett slammed the car in drive when both their phones rang. He hit the brakes, and his eyes narrowed. Danny retrieved his cell from his pocket, and moaned out loud before answering. 

“No.”

“What?” Chin murmured from the other end of the line. 

“No. Whatever it is. We’re on the way to couple's therapy. What do you want?” 

“Dead body in the morgue.” 

“Is that supposed to excite me?” Danny wondered blandly. 

“Extra dead body in the morgue. Max came in and found one corpse more than the night before.” 

“Waiting for the punch line,” Danny grumbled.

“A fresh body. Already zipped up in a body bag. No report. No notice. No toe tag. No identity. Nothing. It’s not one of ours. Someone brought a body into HPD overnight, put it in the morgue, and left it there,” Chin murmured. “Are you excited yet?” 

“A little,” Danny admitted. 

“What’s the cause of death?” Steve asked loudly. Danny held up the phone and turned on the speaker. 

“Are you sitting down?” Chin asked. 

“No, I’m surfing. Whaddya think?” McGarrett quipped dryly. 

“Suicide," Chin whispered with a bright, keen delight in his tone. 

Steve blinked those beautiful eyes in puzzlement. 

“What did you say?” 

“Hold up! It can't be suicide! You said he was zipped up in the body bag,” Danny protested. 

“Yes, I did,” Chin grinned. "Max said official manner of death is suicide."

“How did he commit suicide, and then zip up the bag?” Steve asked. 

“How did he commit suicide? Full stop?” Danny interjected. 

“Gunshot straight to the heart. Contact burns on the chest around the entry. Gunshot residue on the hands. And no, boys, there is not a gun in the bag.” 

Steve looked at Danny, and Danny looked at Steve. They grinned in unison. 

“Guess we’ll be missing therapy after all,” Williams murmured. “I'll call the doctor and let her know. You wanna get out in traffic while there’s a bubble?” 

“It’s not porn and room service, but it’ll do,” Steve decided, hitting the gas. 

“What’s that about porn and room service?” Chin wondered. 

“I said prawns and room service,” Steve fumbled. “Prawns……”

“The hell you did,” Chin murmured, disconnecting the line.


End file.
